Switch for three-rail railways



(No Model.)

W. B. MACK.

SWITCH r011 THREE RAIL RAILWAYS.

No. 361,428. Patented Apr. 19, 1887.

N. FEYtflS. Phalo-ulho m mr. Walhingiou, D. l2v

a NITFD STATES PATENT OFFICEO WILLIAM MACK, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SWITCH FOR THREE-RAIL RAILWAYS.

SPEQIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,428, dated April 19, 1887.

Application filed August 7,1886. Serial No. 210,318. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concerm. be securclyfastened in any usual or conven Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. MACK, of ient manner. Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of At the point where the rails-e e diverge or Massachusetts, have invented certain new and separate from the main track or, I construct a 55 useful Improvements in Switches for Threeswinging gate or platform, '9, upon which the Rail Railways,-of which the following is a switch-rail s is secured, thesaidswinginggate specification. or platform in practice being preferably sup- My invention relates to railroad-switches ported upon a hollow pillar or upright, 19, beemployed to direct cars from one line to anjug heldin place thereon by a bolt, 6. The 60 re ot-her,which, although shown in the drawings bolt 6, having an enlarged head which rests as applied to a surface railroad, may be used upon or may be countersunk in the gate or 111 connectionwith my improved system of platform 9, has its shank extended down elevated railroads having three separate rails, through the hollow pillar or upright 19 and a description of which will appear in my apsleeper or cross-tie t, the end of the said bolt 6 5 I5 plications for patents duly filed in the Patent being threaded to receive upon it a nut, n,

Office on the 26th of December, 1885, Serial which, when tightly adjusted, securely holds No. 186,739, and on the 17th of February, 1886, the pillar or upright 19 in place upon the sleeper Serial No. 192,169, to which reference may be or cross-tie t, and forms 'a'pivot-point, upon had. which the gate or platform 9 may be swung 7o 20 The features of my invention will ,be fully from one side to the other, as shownin full and described hereinafter, and pointed out in the dotted lines in Fig. 1, to direct the cars from claims at the end of this specification. the main track onto either of the diverging In the drawings hereto annexed and forlntracks, or vice versa. mg a. part of this specification, Figure 1 rep- At the terminus of the center main rail is 7 5 resents aplan'view of a portion of a main track pivoted a small section of rail, (Z, which rests and two diverging tracks with my improveupon the sleeper or cross-tie to which it is pivmenls applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents a oted, and a metallic plate, d, fastened to the section of Fig. 1 on the dotted line a: m. I sleeper or cross-tie d. This rail d has con- Similar letters of reference indicate correnected to it, at its outer or free end, a lever,Z, 8

sponding parts in both figures of the drawings. which is fulcrumed at or near its center to a a 0. represent a series of sleepersor crossplate, Z, bolted to the sleeper Z ties, which rest, as usual, upon the ground or Each end of the lever Z is provided with a railroad-bed, having attached to them, in any small slot, 2, the slot at the end nearest the railconvenient or desired manner,the center lower section d receiving the shank of a screw, 3, S5

fwhich is firmly screwed into the rail-section d,

' The side rails, e e, placed at each side ofand and the other slot, at the end nearest the pivotsomewhat higher than the center rail, f, their point of the swinging gate or platform, receivsupports, and the manner in which the same ing within it the end of a bolt, 4. This bolt, are braced and held in place firmly with relahaving its enlarged head resting upon the up- 0 4 tion to each other and to the center'lower rail, per face of the platform or gate 9, is passed f, are substantially as shown and described in down through an intervening sleeve, 5, and my applications above referred to. The dethrough the slot in the lever Z, being firmly tails, therefore, of their construction I have held there by the nut 6. deemed it unnecessary to enter into in-this It will thus be observed from the above and 5 present application. In the drawings, howby reference to the drawings that by swinging ever, the center rail, f, and the sockets 10 10, the platform or gate from the full-line posiwhich sustain and support the lower e'xtremition, Fig. 1, to the dotted-line position, the end ties of the pillars 9 9, instead of resting on upof the lever Z, connected by the bolt at to the rights or columns, as in my application above gate or platform, will follow with it, causing 100 referred to, are shown as resting upon the the opposite end of the said lever to move in sleepers or cross-ties a a, to which they may an opposite direction, thus moving the railsection d from the full-line position into the dotted position and placing the rails in position to direct the cars onto the opposite diverging rails.

Any of the known systems of levers employed to move switches may be used in conneetion with my invention, there being, such variety that l have not deemed it necessary to show any in the drawings.

I claim-- 1. The combination, with the single and diverging tracks, each composed of two side rails and a lower center rail, of the pivoted switch-rail adapted to make the side rails of the single track continuous with those of either of the diverging tracks, and a pivoted switchrail adapted to make the center rails of the main track continuous with the center rail of either of the diverging tracks, as set forth.

2. The combination, with the single and divergingtraeks,each composed of two side rails and a lower center rail, of the pivoted switchroil adapted to make the side rails of the single track continuous with those of either of the diverging traeks,the pivoted switch-rail adapted to make the center rail of the single track continuous with either of the center rails of the diverging tracks, and connections, substair tinlly as described, whereby the two switchrails are moved simultaneously, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 12th day of July, 1886.

\VILLIAM B. MACK.

\Vitnesses:

O. F. BROWN, ARTHUR \V. Unossunv. 

